Tough Case
by Djstevereno
Summary: Hey! Really could not think of a better name for this. The only reason this was rated M is because of the use of murder and occasional obscenities. This is my first fanfic ever and probably my last. I wrote this just to get my idea of a story out featuring 2 characters from a movie I fell in love with as soon as I saw it! I hope you all enjoy it! Thank you in advance!
1. Chapter 1

"And then he was all like 'a-ha Hopps! You'll never catch me!' And Hornes came in from behind him, and grabbed him and threw him on the ground!" The wild rabbit exclaimed, still excited about their recent bust. Judy unlocks the door to her apartment and opens the door for her partner to step inside.

As he moves around her to get inside the room, he turns to her with his muzzle in a smug little grin. "I'm well aware of what happened, carrots," Nick exclaims, seeming to have to remind her all the time that he was there. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, but he was getting tired of hearing the story of what happened an hour ago. Of which he was a part of.

"I know, I know," she reassures him. "But, I just get really excited after an eventful day of catching the bad guys, and putting them in their place!" Judy loves her job. She loves earning the title of Zootopia's first bunny cop. She felt even more proud of herself after every successful job they accomplished.

Nick raises his eyebrows, trying to act amused by the bunny. He thought it was cute how she acted, and he wasn't about to stop her from being happy. He gives her a smile. "I can understand that," he proclaims. Soon after, he was met with a hug. An excited hug.

"And I couldn't do that without my incredible partner!" she exclaims. "Mr. Nicholas Wilde! The first fox cop of the ZPD!" Nick didn't understand why she was so happy. This wasn't even the biggest case they had taken. They had stopped an antelope from robbing a bank. It was a big case, yeah, but nothing that Nick thought would deserve such excitement. The crook didn't even have a gun or a getaway crew. He used false threats, but he was foiled before too long. There really was no risk.

She heads over to the kitchen as Nick sets himself down in a chair. Her apartment situation had gotten a total upgrade from the one she received when she first got here. This one had rooms. As soon as you walked in the door, you had the living room. With a couch on your right as soon as you walked in and a TV stand on the other side of the room. In the corner, separated by only an end table, sat a chair. The chair was a nice little recliner. Nick would call it his chair, but that was only when he was over and could claim it before she sat on it. This time he was lucky enough to claim it before she noticed. He flipped on the TV.

"I figured since we had some time tonight, maybe I could cook something for us?" She was very happy. She never usually offered anything other than maybe some money when they went out to eat. You could tell she had a great day when she offers to _make_ something.

Nick gave a little chuckle. "oh?" he asked. "You cook?"

"Ha ha." She gave a sarcastic laugh. "I was thinking about making us some tacos tonight." It wasn't anything special. She knew she couldn't cook anything too fancy. Cooking wasn't her strong suit.

Nick's face lit up as he looked to her from his chair. "That sounds great." He turns his head toward the TV and turns it to the news. He was waiting for the story about the robbery they stopped. Although Judy's rambling about it was getting a little old, he still likes hearing about himself, especially when he does something to help. It feels good to him to do the right thing. And it felt good to have someone support him on it. Judy was a great friend of his and an incredible partner.

Judy starts cooking in her little kitchen that was almost attached to the living room, separated by nothing but one wall with a little window space in it. This kitchen was definitely better than the ones at her old apartment. She now had a fridge and an oven. She had some cabinets that hung from the ceiling. She had the sink close to the microwave on the other side of the room from the oven. Whenever she starts the meat, she can hear the sizzle, making the TV a little harder to hear. She knew Nick was watching the news. She didn't enjoy the news too much. Some of the stories brought her down sometimes. Nick loved it. She didn't mind him loving it so as to not make her watch it unless it was something positive. Being a cop, they dealt with negativity a lot anyway. But she loves her choice in career and there is no shame in that.

She took a break from keeping a constant eye on the cooking meat to head over to Nick who was casually laying back on the recliner. He had his arms above his head in a relaxed position. She figured now would be a better time than ever.

"Nick?" Judy says, moving toward Nick on the recliner.

"Yeah?" the curious fox inquired. Judy started walking toward him holding something in her hand. She smiled as she handed him a little police badge. She had seen this the other day at the market and thought it would be an incredible gift for them. The police badge was a little medal gold colored badge with a general police logo on it. Near the bottom had a plate that was engraved 'Best Partners.' She had seen the badge as sort of a token of their friendship and partnership in the force.

Nick smiles as he takes the badge from her. "What is this for?" he asks.

She smiles back. "I just thought that we've been friends for a while, and I didn't see this friendship ending soon. I got you this sort of token of friendship for us. I have one too! And look on the back!" she says excited.

He turns the badge over to reveal his name on it. There were the words 'Nicholas Wilde'. It was a personalized gift from her, someone that he can call a friend. He tried not to cry as he hugged her. Even though this really touched him, he could not cry. It would ruin everything he's worked for. Despite his efforts, he decides to let a little tear fall as the words "thank you" ran out of his mouth.

"And look!" she said, grabbing hers out of her vest. She turns it around to reveal her name engraved on the back. He loved the token. He knew he had to keep it with him at all times. This was the best gift he had ever received. They come in for one more hug before she happily hops back to the kitchen to finish working on the tacos.

After about ten minutes or so, the meat starts to be finished so Judy decides to start setting out little bowls with ingredients in them: Tomatoes, Lettuce, Shredded Cheese, Hot Sauce. Without looking to see if he was even paying attention, she asks Nick, "Do you want a hard shell or soft shell?" No answer came to her at first, which was normal. "Nick, did you want a hard or soft shell?" There still was no answer from the fox. She was starting to get annoyed. "Hey, Nick," She says as she is now turning to face the fox.

"Shh shh shush," he tries to quiet her. He is now leaning forward into the TV from his recliner. This was strange to Judy as he was just leaning back relaxing when she last saw him a minute ago. The recliner was folded up into a chair again now as he was staring intently into whatever is going on the TV. The fox was looking so intently at the TV that it looked like his green eyes were going to pierce the screen. Finally, he says something. "Hey, carrots," he starts. "You might want to take a look at this.." His hesitancy was sign that whatever was on that TV was not good. Judy, curious as she is, starts heading toward the living room. She didn't like seeing negative things on the news. Nick knows this very well. Something must've been more wrong than usual, because he knows better than to show her awful stories on the news.

This one was different, however. This was not a story, but a breaking news camera shot from one of the news helicopters. It was a chase. A wild animal chase.

An antelope was running for its life away from a tiger causing panic in the streets. Cops had already been called onto the scene, but the tiger seemed to pay no mind to them. Before too long, the tiger had gotten the antelope trapped in a wide alleyway. The antelope was backed up against the wall. Cops had closed off the other end of the alley so there was no way out of the alley. The tiger kept inching slowly toward the antelope, stalking it as if it were going to pounce at any minute.

"Stop right there!" one of the cops had yelled out to the tiger, holding out a tranquilizer gun out toward him. The tiger didn't seem to pay any mind. It was almost as if the tiger didn't understand what the cops were saying. "Sir, get on the ground!" yelled the cop once again.

Without warning almost, the tiger pounced on the antelope, grasping a good bit of her back. With one quick swing, the tiger bit on the antelope's neck, causing both Nick and Judy who were intently watching to gasp, wide-eyed, in shock at what had just happened. Almost immediately, the antelope was dead. This event was broadcasted on live TV.

The cops even seemed took by surprise too as they hesitated for half a second before putting their guns back up. The tiger turned his attention toward the group of five cops who were guarding the exit of the alleyway now. Without hesitation, the tiger moved slowly toward the group as if to not be intimidated by how outnumbered he may be. One cop shot off a tranquilizer dart into the neck of the tiger.

It had no effect.

The tiger roared and started bolting toward the group of cops, aiming straight for the wolf who shot the dart. The tiger was sprinting toward the animal, who was now frozen in fear. This is the first time anything this violent has happened in Zootopia. Not since the Belweather case.. Not since thousands of years ago. Why was this happening?

The tiger got close enough to take a pounce at the wolf, who had not been able to move.

 **BANG!**

A shot was fired, dropping the large tiger, mid pounce. The shot was from none other than Officer Mandel. A lion officer. He had shot the tiger with something more violent than a tranquilizer dart. The lion had dropped the tiger with his pistol. No one in the ZPD had ever had to use one of those before. Guns were almost unnecessary in this city. But the lion did what needed to be done and had murdered the tiger, his body laying lifeless.

Back in the room, both Nick and Judy look at each other in utter shock. Their minds cannot comprehend what just happened. "Did.. did that just happen?" asks Judy to Nick. Nick just turned his eyes to the TV.

You could hear the news crew saying frantic things like "What just happened?" and "Cut the feed!" The live broadcast had then turned back to the newscasters who were both also in total shock. Unsure as to what to make of it, the two newscasters try to shake it off as they move to the next story.

'A double murder. From a wild animal. That doesn't happen in Zootopia,' thought Judy. Nick and Judy stay quiet the rest of the time. Other than maybe a couple small talk conversations about the weather and work, they both just stayed silent for most of the time. Neither one of them hardly were able to eat.

The night had just went from a great night into something neither one of them had expected. Inside, they knew that they might be put on this case. They knew it because they had solved something similar whenever she first moved here, but in this case, things had gotten a little extreme. Now, they feared for their lives. Neither one of them wanted this case to be put on them, but they had a feeling deep inside that it would be handed to them.

Another hour of silence passes before Nick makes his motion for the door. "Well, Carrots," he says, opening the front door, "I hope you get a good night's sleep. We'll need it." He says that knowing that she was afraid of the same thing.

She gives him a half smile as he steps outside her apartment. "Have a good night Nick," she calls out. He waves back at her in response and closes the door behind him. Still shocked from the incident, she turns her head toward the TV, that has been off now for a couple of hours, and sighs. Inside, she feels scared. A bit insecure. She's had a couple of cases that have been really extreme before, but a murder case? Was she ready?

She makes her way into her room to lay down and attempt to fall asleep. As she gets undressed, she notices something in her pocket. The badge. She smiles a little half smile as she holds the police badge that says 'Best Partners' on it. She sets down the badge on her nightstand. "If anyone can help me calm down about this case," she says, staring at the badge, "it's him."

Nick pulls into his parking space at his apartment complex. His mind completely filled with bad thoughts about the case. 'What if that happens to me? What if I can't control myself and I end up killing someone? What if I kill…?' He shook the thought from his mind. If something like that were to happen to him, he wouldn't bring it to his mind, even in his most savage of states, to harm Judy. Let alone kill her. She would make him snap out of it. She's his best friend.

He makes his way inside and throws his keys on the couch. His apartment was smaller than Judy's new one. He didn't mind though. Living on his own, he didn't need much space. He couldn't afford much, even back in the old days of popsicle hustling with Finnick. He misses that crazy fox sometimes. Finnick was a great friend, but ever since Nick joined the force, Finnick's been a bit distant from Nick. They still hang out, just not as much.

He makes his way into his room and empties his pockets before laying down to go to sleep. As he was emptying his pockets, one item caught his eye. The badge Judy had given him. He smiles as he stares at it. 'If anyone can help me keep my head clear with this case, it was her,' he thought to himself. The thought of her calmed him down. He was no longer as worried about the case. He knew that as long as she was with him, they'd be able to conquer anything.

He lays in his bed and closes his eyes to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

ZTFF Ch2

Hardly a wink of sleep between the two of them. They slowly walk into the meeting room, where Bogo and the rest of the squadron were waiting. You could tell by the expression on the buffalo's face, he was not happy to see them walk in a couple minutes late.

"Hopps, Wilde." He snarls, "it's about time you two are here. No, circumstances last night don't happen hardly ever, but that doesn't excuse you two to sleep in."

So it wasn't a bad dream.

"Take a seat, you two, we have a lot to go over." Chief Bogo pulls out his folder of assignments as usual, but this one was different. In fact, it was practically empty. "As a lot of you may know, there's something strange going on here. Now, whether this was a solo act or another case similar to last years', that much I don't know. But what I do know, is that we need all members we can get on this investigation."

He opens the folder to two sheets of paper. Both for the same case. "We need a group of at least five of you to check out the scene of the murder last night and the other 7 of you go interview witnesses. Hoops, Wilde, as we all know, you two are the most shaken up by this, I have a special assignment for you two, but you're not going to like it."

Nick and Judy exchange confused glances at each other. "You two are gonna have to pay an old friend a visit." Bogo says.

"Why us, sir?" Judy asks.

"You two are the only ones she's ever really gotten to know personally." Bogo says. He says it like it's gonna be a chore, but both of them know better. Bogo tries to put on a tough act for the rest of the group, but he knows he can't really be mad at the two who cracked the biggest case the department has ever seen. "You can only be there until 6pm. Make multiple trips if you have to. I just want answers, and this has her name written all over it."

The rest of assignments were handed out and the group dispersed. All except for Nick and Judy who stayed after to get a little one on one with the chief.

Bogo begins, "listen you two. First and foremost, never be late to rolecall again. I'm only going easy on you because it's the first time in over a year. So far, you two have been the best addition to the force in years. I don't want that to stop. Next, I originally wanted you two to go check out the crime scene from last night, I'll be honest. But I figured this would be the best choice to get this case solved and closed quickly. We have many other important crimes to solve, but this one takes all of my attention. For now, this is the important task. And the reason I chose you two, is because of your talents to get people to talk. You've proven it before with Weazelton. Perhaps, I was hoping you could get Bellwether to talk. Can I count on the two of you?"

"Of course, sir." Nick said.

"Good." Said the chief with a slight smile. "This case is huge so we need all the help we can get. Now, I've got a conference call with the mayor and I'm gonna need to tell him everything is set and put in place. He wants to put a state of emergency on zootopia, but only one huge murder case has happened so far. It's basically my job to coax him and tell him all is under control." As soon as he says that, the phone starts to ring. "Go, you two. Come back when you have results. Until then, I'll be here if you need me."

Nick and Judy look to each other for reassurance. They both nod to each other before leaving the office. They're silent for most of the walk until stopped by a familiar figure at the front desk.

"Hey guys!" Clawhauser says. "What kinda super sleuth-y stuff you got goin on today?" He chuckles to himself. "I kid! Seriously though. Is there something for the case you need me to get for you?" That was the best thing about Benjamin. He was always willing to help. There was even a time when Nick was able to get his own place without Finnik. Clawhauser was the first one to offer help.

"Not right now," Judy answered. "We'll definitely let you know when we do though!"

Clawhauser waves as they leave the building. "Alright guys! I guess I'll see ya later then!"

Clawhauser has something inside of him that Nick and Judy really wished they had. A sense of 100% optimism. Clawhauser isn't blind to any situation, but he knows how to not let things get to him. A quality Nick did so well before he met his new friend. But even though there was a big case involving murder, Benjamin Clawhauser still found a reason to smile. That crazy cat.

Nick and Judy assume position in the squad car with Nick in the driver seat. They sit still for half a minute thinking about their assignment.

"You know?" Nick breaks the silence. "You do seem really bothered about this case and everything that's happened last night. How about you take the wheel? To me, drives are very therapeutic and could help clear your mind a bit." Nick looks to Judy with a convincing smile.

The smile gives Judy a nice, warm feeling that everything really was going to be okay. "Okay. If you think it will help."

Nick nods. "I do." He hops out of the car and Judy climbs over the seat to avoid getting out of the car to get into the driver's seat. The police academy still has yet to provide a squad car small enough to feel like a real car to Nick and Judy, so it's real spacious in the car for them.

The car ride is mainly filled with long silence. Nick breaks the ice. "Hey, Carrots?"

"Yeah?" Judy responds back.

He smiles. "I really do appreciate the nice badge you gave me." He takes it out of his pocket to show her that he carries his with him. There, with the sun almost reflecting right off of it, you could see the words 'Best Partner' on them. This was definitely the badge she had given him. This causes her to smile and forget about anything bad going on for the moment.

"I'm really glad you like it," she says, feeling tons better.

"How could I not," he says, "it's from my favorite person in the world."

She blushes, unsure of how to respond. Or even what he meant by that. Was he coming onto her? Does he even like her like…. Nah. No way. He's a fox. She's a rabbit. How can that even… They're supposed to be enemies, according to biology and history…. But maybe he did like her that way. He always compliments her. She knows that he thinks of her as a great and best friend, but in a relationship. She wasn't really sure about that. I mean sure, she likes him in a sort of weird way, but she wasn't about to want a relationship with him… Was she? Her emotions were completely screwed around and her mind was rushing. Before she could even respond, they arrived to the prison.

They park and hop out of the car. Judy's mind starts getting focused and more task oriented. If anything, this mind racing and driving caused her to be more alert to the task at hand. She was able to pick and choose which things she thinks about. She was good like that.

They enter the prison calmly and collectively, but both of them were pretty nervous about meeting Bellwether again. It was easy to tell on both of them. Ryan Horne the guard on duty. He is there practically all the time, they may as well make him the security marshal.

"Hey guys. Bogo called ahead and let me know y'all were coming." Even being a Rhino, he had a thick country type accent. Nick had always wondered where he got it from.

"Sounds good, man!" Nick says.

"Now, unfortunately, legal issues say that you're still restricted under recent recruit restrictions with visiting and interrogating hours, so you have 'till 6pm to get whatever you can."

Why couldn't they just fix it in the system that they could visit as long as they want to. I guess they have their points that Nick and Judy will never know. All they knew is that it was at least 5 days worth of different paperwork and 5 more days of processing in order to get that much access, so they never thought they would use it. Unless Finnik decided to get in trouble. He never did though. Ever since they became cops, he's distanced himself. Even though he had never done anything illegal in his life, Finnik had felt threatened by police officers just because he was a sketchy character.

"That's alright, man." Nick said assuringly.

"Yeah," Judy said, "This'll be just in and out!"

Ryan nods and grins at the two of them and then presses the button to unlock the door. "She's down the second hall, third cell on your right. I've already had the guards restrain her a bit since you were coming. She's never been violent, but you never know."

"Thanks a lot, man!" Nick waves to him as he and Judy disappear through the door and find themselves caught in a big prison full of shouting prisoners. They knew they should've changed out of their police uniforms before they got there. It would have been less noticeable.

They make their way to the cell in which they held Bellwether. When they had got there, she was sitting on her bed, waiting. 

She grins as they close the door behind them. "I've been expecting you two."


End file.
